Chapter Text
Everyone knows that Omegas and Alphas need one another to stay sane. Omegas have their heats and Alphas their ruts. They intensely feel the need to have relationships with one another. This comes with its own issues of course, the Omega and the Alpha demographic ls both experience higher rates of domestic violence, more time absent from work, higher rates of incarceration and sexual assault. Of course now days, with the anti-discrimination laws in place, Omegas and Alphas are about as well off as Betas always have been.
Betas, on average, have higher rates of divorce, less fulfilling relationships and usually chose not to have children. Some Betas fantasise of dating Alphas or Omegas. However no Alpha or Omega would willingly end up with a Beta.
In most developed countries Beta-Beta relationships are against the law. Not in the land of the free... Americans value their rights *imagine a loud eagle sound*. Although these relationships are legal in the United States they are frowned upon.
Some Alpha-Omega packs have been known to take in desperate Betas to look after the children, cook, clean and bring home money to the family. The Alphas and Omegas in the pack can then sit back, relax and knot each other day and night. The Betas often have no place else to go after abondoning their independence. They stay living within abusive packs in hope that one day they will be loved as equals, of course that is an impossible. In these sorts of domestic situations the Beta is often at fault, so there is little the government is willing to do to help a Beta in the aftermath when they have been kicked out, have run away from or been given to another pack.
Ever since his Beta Mother was accidentally pushed to the ground and murdered in front of him at the hands of his Beta Father, Bruce hasn’t been interested in dating other Betas. He knew he didn’t want to end up in some unloving homosexual Beta-Beta relationship, so that meant he was going die alone. Which sounds depressing but it’s really not that bad. In fact, it’s a good thing that Bruce has accepted his fate early rather than spending his life yearning for something he will never have. Bruce is never going to be one of those Betas with disgusting fantasies about dating an Alpha or an Omega. So, if the alternative to dating a Beta is not dating then that’s what he was going to do.
If Bruce was an Omega… his Alpha would care about him, or even if he didn’t have an Alpha one of the team Alphas would care for him, Steve or Clint or someone would- would want to be with him and to help him and, and, even if they didn’t care, he could go out onto the streets, and surely one alphas on the streets would smell his distress and stop to help him, if he needed help, and they would hug him, and ask if he was ok.
But that wasn’t reality. Shit. Bruce wasn’t meant to think about this anymore. He was meant to be finishing his report on some new nano-technology. Ok, ok, ok. He needs to think about something else. He started pacing around the living room his heart pounding out of his chest. The room was getting smaller. A wave of disorientation had him plonking back onto the lounge, he breathed in, 2, 3 and out 2, 3, and in, and oh my god wasn’t it nice to think about though?
His vision blurred (Which is fucking humiliating btw). He tilted fowards and covered his face with both hands, that way if anyone saw him, they might think he was just resting. He just wanted a big strong Alpha to tell him what to do. He didn’t want to have to think anymore.
Bruce attempted to use a breathing exercise he learned in therapy but he stopped part way through because he wasn’t getting in enough air. Maybe if he breathed a bit faster, he wouldn’t feel so lightheaded.
It’s so un-natural why was he such a disgusting freak. He stopped hiding his face in his hands to allow more air into his body. His hands were tingling, he started squeezing them together but the feeling didn’t go away. He heard a gasp, he realised it was him, why was it so hard to breathe? Was he dying? No that’s, that’s not right.
“Bruce?” Tony whispered.
Bruce looked up startled.
“Are you feeling alright Brucey bear?”
He sat up and nodded at Tony, or at least he thinks he nodded. His visual field was spinning, full of dancing colours and light.
He felt tears running down his face. He opened his mouth to beg Tony to leave him alone, instead he just gasped loudly.
Of course it’s Tony who has come to talk to him. The only fucking Omega in the whole fucking tower. The one person that would be the most hurt by Bruce’s sick desires.
He tried to hold himself together for the sake of his remaining self-dignity.
“I’m fine, you you you don’t need to worry.” Bruce spoke shakily and wiped his face on his sleeve. He looked up to meet Tony’s gaze his eyes burning with shame. Tony couldn’t know what this was about. He would never understand. He would -never- forgive Bruce.
“Jarvis said you were in distress… Clint should be here too, any second now.”
Bruce’s whole body jerked.
“Or, I could tell him to stay back? If that’s what you want? I'm happy to stay here with you, it would be just like the good old days, just me and you, maybe we could work on some of our old projects together, I remember we were working on something to do with testing the particle physics theory in relation to-“
The elevator dinged and Clint sprinted into the room “Oh Darrrling are you ok???” he purred.
Bruce feels utterly humiliated, just as he deserves to feel. He is sick in the head. He should feel like this all of the time. Maybe this is a good thing, the others will finally realise they have been living with a fucking freak.
“Tony what ‘appened?”
Of course he is doting on Tony. No one ever cares about Bruce. He felt bile rise in his throat and swallowed down the acidic taste. Bruce told himself that this is a good thing, it means that the attention has been shifted off of him, this is what he wants. Alphas should focus on their Omegas.
He shivered and goosebumps rippled over his increasingly clammy skin. How is he going to explain his way out of this situation? Shit, he should probably have said something back to Clint. Wait was he even talking to Bruce? Why would he talk to someone so disgusting, so-
Clint placed his massive warm hand on Bruce’s shoulder causing him to flinch. He clenched his muscles trying to maintain control over his body. Clint squeezed his shoulder and an uncontrollable mewling sound rattled out of his throat.
He felt Tony and Clint having a silent conversation and didn’t dare take part. He didn’t want to know what they were thinking of him, probably horrible things, about how much of a freak he is, about how he’s acting like a child.
Actually, maybe Bruce isn’t being realistic, they probably aren’t silently communicating about him at all. Maybe they are deciding what to have for dinner or whether or not they should go knot each other up in the penthouse because Bruce isn’t worth worrying about. They should focus on their natural, biological needs not some Beta freak having a mental breakdown. They just had to come up here and ‘check on him’ becasue Jarvis asked them too. That’s all. This isn’t about Bruce. Tony probably just wanted Bruce to think they cared, so that he would keep living with them in the tower and be the avengers little battle pawn.
He tried to fight the emotions threatening to consume him. Bruce breathed in jerkily. He clenched his hands into fists trying to hide their trembling movements.
They watched him writhing and trembling, switching rapidly between gazing unfocusedly into the distance and rapidly looking around the room. A constant stream of tears was dribbling down his face. He was crying almost silently aside from his rapid jerky breathing and intermittent hiccups. Tony reached out to hold Clints hand.
Clint wrapped an arm around Tony’s waist and walked him to the kitchen in view of the living area, he spoke gently as though not to frighten the Omega. “I need you to go and find Steve and stay with him for a while so I can deal with Bruce ok?”
Tony nodded.
“Can you do that Tony.”
“Yes Clint.”
“Alright Tones, I’ll come check on you soon.”
Clint didn’t wait for him to respond before turning and power-walking back over to Bruce who was now slumped forward with his knees pulled up tight to his chest.
Clint flopped down onto the lounge pressing his body firmly into Bruce’s side and wrapped an arm around his back. Clint forced his body to relax, to make himself appear calm for the Beta. He also made a conscious effort to slow his breathing and heart rate despite his protective instincts screaming at him to take action, wrap himself around Bruce and hold him until he settles.
Bruce’s body tensed at the touch. He quickly placed his feet back on the floor and moved his hands to his lap, white knuckles grasping his own hands together, he was probably trying to make himself look more composed. He turned to glare at Clint. His facial expressions not aligning with his body language.
Was Bruce really trying to intimidate an Alpha through prolonged eye contact?
Clint raised an eyebrow as Bruce aggressively stared at him, his eyes filled up with tears and his face turned slightly green before he finally blinked and started crying with renewed vigour.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Between his sobs Bruce managed to stutter out a “no.”
Bruce couldn’t tell how long he had been sitting next to Clint fighting the sickening panic rising in his gut to find a moment of calm before he realised his situation again and resumed panicking. He shouldn’t be so emotional, he shouldn’t be with an Alpha, and he definitely shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. It’s not fair. This will all be over soon. Clint will leave, and everything will go back to normal.
Jarvis spoke quietly, “Clint, Tony would like me to inform you that Bucky, Nat, Phil and Thor are due to arrive back at the tower in ten minutes time.”
“Thank you Jarvis,” Clint quietly replied, “Bruce?”
Bruce groaned.
“Did you hear J? We should probably head back to my floor unless you want the rest of the team coddling you and wondering if you’re alright.”
Bruce’s eyelids fluttered open, his gaze darted around the room as if searching for impending danger.
“Do you think you can stand?”
He sniffled and looked at Clint with glazed over eyes. Clint breathed in sharply, Bruce looked like an Omega, he was acting like an Omega. Clint chose to react neutrally, not revealing his concern to Bruce, he didn’t want Bruce to think he had done anything wrong.
Bruce’s thoughts were firing so rapidly through his head he couldn’t keep track of anything at all. His brain felt like mush sloshing around in his skull. Even slight movements felt like his body was thrashing around uncontrollably. He tried to breathe. He tried to keep his stomach contents where they belong. He was weightless and alone and cold and-
Clint carefully slid his left arm under Bruce’s knees and used his right arm that was already behind Bruce to effortlessly scoop him into a bridal carry.
Bruce kicked his legs indignantly and furrowed his eyebrows.
“C’mon, let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”
Bruce’s eyelids drooped, each blink was becoming a slow deliberate effort. A contented sigh escaped his lips. He nestled into Clint’s body inhaling his subtle scent of old books and fresh rain that he never previously noticed.
All but at once his body fell limp. Clint held him closer.